ANC apologises for ‘failing’ Zuma rape accuser

The ANC last week sent a formal apology to the late Fezekile ‘Khwezi’ Kuzwayo's family, a woman who accused former President Jacob Zuma of rape in 2006, reports IoL. The provincial chairperson of the ANC in the KwaZulu-Natal province, Siboniso Duma, visited the family's home and apologised on behalf of the party. This follows the repatriation of the remains of Khwezi's father, Judson Kuzwayo, a former member of Mkhonto weSizwe (MK), the ANC’s disbanded armed wing. Kuzwayo's remains were recently repatriated and landed in Durban earlier last week, along with those of other MK members. He died in 1985 while in exile in Zimbabwe. Duma admitted that the party failed to protect and support Khwezi through her hardships, even though it is in their constitution to ensure that women and children were protected at all times. His remarks and the visit come after it was said that the family has not forgiven the ANC for the treatment. ‘We should have stood up when Khwezi was abused, we had others who spoke about it but it was not enough,’ he said. Although Zuma was charged with rape, the court concluded that the woman had given her consent. Zuma rejected Khwezi's accusations during the trial, calling them a plot to thwart his hopes of becoming President.